Blueberries to Lower Blood Pressure
Blueberries are famous for their powerful antioxidant punch. These delicious berries boast many benefits for fighting against aging and DNA oxidation.
The health advantages of blueberries make them a great addition to everyday fruit and vegetable servings. Additionally, these berries stay fresh for up to three weeks in a refrigerator. Their only negative point is the price that supermarkets sell them for.
Source of vitamins and antioxidants
Unless you freeze them, which would cause them to lose a considerable amount of their vitamin C, blueberries offer plenty of micronutrients. Among them are antioxidants, which help fight against free radicals and signs of aging.
Adding these powerful berries to a diet rich in other polyphenol-packed foods, such as garlic or spices, is a great step towards healthy eating. Blueberries are also rich in resveratrol, which is a substance that’s also present in dark-skinned grapes. Rich in polyphenol and resveratrol, blueberries are an incredibly powerful antioxidant food source.
Cardiovascular health
Consuming 200 grams of blueberries a day can help to lower blood pressure while improving the lipid profile. They help to raise HDL levels, lower LDL levels and reduce triglycerides as well, all thanks to their high flavonoid content.
Cardiovascular diseases are one of the biggest causes of death. Thus, prevention is key. Consuming foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, and enjoying regular exercise are undoubtedly the best steps for a healthy heart.
Adding blueberries to your meals
One of the best qualities of these amazing berries is their versatility. You can eat them just as they are or in juices, jams or smoothies. They work wonderfully in baking recipes and are perfect to work into breakfast.
Not to mention, many people also add them to vegetable purees for their gorgeous color and delicious taste. Or, you can try sprinkling them onto salads, along with seeds, to boost your health further.
But, it’s not all good news
Consuming 200 grams of blueberries a day has its share of disadvantages as well. First and foremost is the practicality: eating 200 grams of these berries would mean that at least 400-500 calories of your daily diet would have to come from blueberries. As a consequence, you’d have to limit yourself with other foods in order to keep your calorie intake in a normal range.
Adding on, the berries are expensive and would imply spending more on your groceries. Thus they’re not an option that everyone can afford.
More blueberries and more variety
Variety is a fundamental pillar in a healthy diet. As healthy as a food type is, you shouldn’t limit yourself to consuming just that food product and forgetting the rest.
So, despite how amazing blueberries are, you should eat them along with other fruits and vegetables as well.
By keeping your diet varied, you can give your body different types of micronutrients and antioxidant compounds. In turn, they’ll also keep you healthy. And don’t forget to keep your omega-3 and omega-6 levels balanced if you want to prevent high blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases.
To stay healthy, mono and polyunsaturated fats should have a presence in your diet. You can find them in oily fish, vegetable fats, nuts and seeds.
Conclusion
Regularly consuming blueberries boasts benefits that prevent high blood pressure and cancer. However, eating large quantities amount of them is hardly practical. Instead, try to include them in your diet with some degree of regularity, substituting them for other foods rich in micronutrients and phenolic compounds as well.
Wrapping up, remember to pair your healthy diet with regular exercise. By eating right and exercising, you can improve your biochemical scores and reduce your risk of suffering from complicated diseases later on.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Zhu Y., Sun J., Lu W., Wang X., Wang X., Han Z., Qiu C., Effects of blueberry supplementation on blood pressure: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials. J Hum Hypertens, 2017. 31 (3): 165-171.
- Khalid S., Barfoot KL., May G., Lamport DJ., Reynolds SA., Williams CM., Effects of acute blueberry flavonoids on mood in children and Young adults. Nutrients, 2017.
